A Dramatic Casting

Casting went up for the Spring show today! Before I tell you the dramatic story that lies ahead let me give you a little background information. At BWA the casting for the spring show is the only she where everyone is in it. The only way you can be taken out is due to lack of attendance or injury. We have been preparing all of our dances in Rep. from the begging of the year and casting would show who did what for the show. The ballet we are preforming is Don Quixote.  There are five possible parts I could have been. All of the parts are on pointe and have god costumes. The parts were Segadillas, Dyrads, Flowergirls, Le vevandiare or in Maypole. The parts I wanted were Segadillas and Dryads. Segadillas is a spicy spanish influenced  dance with fans and long skirts and Dryads is like a more fairy type dance with tutus. Now on to my extremely emotional story.

When I heard that casting had gone up I went over into the crowd of people around the list and looked for my name. I was really happy until I looked and looked and could not find my name.I didn't say anything partly because I was embarrassed and partly because I didn't want to be one of those pouty girls who cried if they didn't get the part. When my good friend Hazel got there I asked her what she was and she asked me and I told her I wasn't in it. She said that couldn't be right and I should talk to them. I was so scared because really who awkward would it be if they told me no you are not in it in front of everyone. After awhile I told more people and everyone agreed with Hazel so I went to find Ms. Heather who put up the casting. I went over and sheepishly asked her if I was not in the year end show. Her face was puzzled and then she said "I knew I would forget someone" as she banged her hand against her head surprisingly hard. Then she wrote my name in with pen on the list and it turned out I got both the parts I wanted.Then for the rest of the day the teachers were using me as an example of  how the forget people sometimes so to talk to them if you were left off, which was kinda embarrassing but, no one seemed to take it that way. In the end I got all the part I wanted and we started rehearsal in our separate groups that day. I guess I could turn this into a corny speech about speaking up if something doesn't seem right but I won't. I am just glad it worked out in the end. Needless t say the entire day was an emotional roller coaster but, Emmie and I got waffles with strawberries and ice cream after ballet which always makes everything better. I mean I only eat salad not junk food! ;)

Heres a picture of the segadilla part only they are doing it in character instead of pointe.

Photo by Poison Ivy's Wall

What's in my Dance Bag

A trend on youtube is to post what is in your bag videos so I thought why not have one here. I have a ton of stuff in my dance bag with me because you never know what may happen. Also if you read my post about my schedule you know I have a lot of classes and they all require different clothing or props. For this post I am putting a list followed by what it is for.

To start my dance bag that I use is vera bradley large duffle in pretty in pink.

Photo by Bonanza

Flat shoes: these are for class obviously.
2 pairs of pointe shoes: for rep., variations, pointe class, and any other time I need to be on pointe.
Skirts(Black and Burgundy): For pointe class, rep., and variations or any time I am on pointe.
Extra tights: Because why not.
Extra leotard: *see extra tights*
Character shoes: for character class.
Character skirt: for character.
Hair Brush, Bobby pins, hairnets and hair spray: for doing my hair in the car.
Theraband: Conditioning class.
Point stuff( ribbons, rosin, stitch kit and toe pads): You never know when you will need to resew.
Black tights: to put on for modern and conditioning.
Fan: this is a prop for rep.
Icy Hot: I get hurt a lot!
clear nail polish: incase I get a rip in my tights.


As you can see there are many things in my dance bag. When I was going through my bag there was also a lot of trash and other weird things. I feel like the list above is pretty standard for a dancer to have but at some times I have had a lot more and since my bag is very big I can get a lot of stuff in it but it starts to get extremely heavy and having to lug it all over town and down to Salt Lake makes me clean it out ever once and a while. Closer to shows I also have show make in my bag. I actually just got around to taking my Nutcracker Makeup out but I will have to put it all back in pretty soon with the Year End Show looming and coming up quick. I hope you enjoyed this inside look into a dancers bag. Feel free to comment whats in your dance bag below.

Uniforms

At Ballet West Academy we have a extremely strict dress code. Each level is assigned a color. That is the color of your leotard and skirt and everyone has the exact same skirt and leotard in that level. Everyone in the entire academy has the exact same tights and depending on which section of the school you are in, (Upper school, or Lower school) you have the same shoes. The only thing that can differ from person to person is pointe she's. That is because point shoes have t be chosen by foot shape and size for the best look, and the all are basically the same looking when everyone has them on. There are many rules. One of the rules is no colored nail polish. I accidentally break this rule a lot. We also can not wear flowers or bows in our hair. The reason for that is to look more professional. The other thing that is not allowed is large r hanging jewelry the only type we can wear is stud earrings.On Saturdays we get to wear what ever color and style leotard we want but everything else must stay the same. I usually wear this one. Back to the leotards when we got a new studio they also decided to do a lot of this differently like the levels names and what the wear. For the most part the uniforms stayed the same except they now has BW embroidered on the hip. My uniform is maroon/ burgundy.

Here is a picture

Photo by Me
*Sorry for all the wrinkles*

The rest of the uniforms go like this:
1- Light Yellow Tank, No Tights,  No Skirt
2- Light Pink Cap Sleeve, Tights, No Skirt
3- Light Blue Cap Sleeve,  Tights and Light Blue Skirt
4- Lavender Camisole, Tights and Lavender Skirt
5- Royal Blue Camisole, Tights and Royal Blue Wrap Skirt
6- Navy Blue Camisole, Tights and Navy Blue Wrap Skirt
7- Dark Purple Camisole, Tights and Dark Purple Wrap Skirt
8- Burgundy Tank, Tights and Burgundy Wrap Skirt
9- Black Tank, Tights and Black Wrap Skirt
Trainees- White Tank, Tights and White Wrap Skirt

The uniforms actually took an extremely long time to be made so for the first seven weeks we got to wear what ever leotard and skirt we wanted.

My Weekly Schedule

As you have probably noticed if you keep up-to-date on my blog (Shoutout to my three great followers!!)  I dance a lot! At ballet west there are no breaks, because everyone wants to be a professional and only a few will make it. We train hard from Monday to Saturday. Sunday is the only day we get off and if we didn't live in Utah we probably would dance then too. There are the occasional auditions on Sundays though so there is that. I thought that it might be interesting to tell you what exactly my schedule is. So, here is an inside look on a level 8 at BWA (Ballet West Academy) is like. If there is anyone reading this feel free to comment what your schedule is like I would love to hear it!

* During the week I wake up at 6 am. :(  I get ready and take the bus to school and after rush strait down to Ballet.*

Our New Studio
by
Salt Lake City Rundown 

Mondays: On mondays we get out of school early so I have a breather from 1:45 all the way until 2:30 when it is time to head down. I live in Park City and dance in Salt Lake so it is a 30 minuet drive down the canyon every day. Dance starts at 3:15 and it is pointe class. Our Teacher is  Cati Snar. This class ends at 4:45 and our next class is Variations with Heather Frixell. Variations is also on pointe. For those of you who do not know Variations is where we learn solo's from actual ballets. Curently we are learning one from Swan Lake, in honor of Ballet West performance.

Tuesdays: On Tuesdays I go straight down and class starts at 3:15 again only this time it is on flat and with Miss Jan. ( I don't know her last name). That class ends at 5:00 and then we have modern class. Modern ends a 6:00.


Wednesday: On Wednesdays I head straight down again and we have flat again but with Heather Frixell. Then we have Character with Lisa Hoyt. Character is combined with the level 9's which is always very fun.

Thursday: On Thursdays I go down for class at 3:15 and it is with Miss Cati again and it is pointe again. After we have conditioning with miss Jan and the level 9's along with the 7's. FYI- Conditioning is not for your hair it is strengthening and flexibility class. It is actually pretty hard.  Conditioning ends at 6:00

FRIDAY: On Fridays I have only one class from 3:15 to 5:00 with Miss Jan or Mr. Jeff. This is a flat class.

Saturdays: On Saturdays we have a very long day with many classes. We start at 10:00am with technique combined with the 7's fought by Miss Cati. It is a flat class then we have a 15 minuet lunch break at 11:45. At 12:00 we start Rep. which is short for repertory. In this class we learn our dances for our shows. They are all on pointe.  Finally at 2:00 we start contemporary class. This is a new class at the academy when they got the new building they wanted to have more extension classes and this was one of them. Although they are called extension classes all of our classes are mediatory and the academy has a strict attendance policy. If you don't go often enough you could get kicked out of the show or the school.

Hope you enjoyed! :)

Summer Intensive Auditions

Summer auditions have finally come this weekend there were many auditions around the US. Along with many of my class mates I auditioned for SAB (The School of American Ballet). The audition was stressful as always but fun. If you have never auditioned for a summer intensive they are almost always the same. This is how a basic audition goes. First you get up and get ready making sure you look perfect. Once you have your hair done absolutely perfect, you've found the perfect leo and you have cute warm ups to sike out the competition on you're ready to leave. I like to eat a really small healthy breakfast like and apple. You leave over budgeting about 45  minuets. Then you get there and you see everyone. The feeling you get is a strange mix of desperation, cockiness and a hint of fear. Then, You go get your number and pin it the front of your leo like 15 times until its perfect.  It is always really crowded but somehow cold. Its almost silent and there is this weird who is the most flexible contest going on while every one is stretching. (Although no one every says anything about it, you just know.) Finally when your group is called in you all get up and stand up as straight as possible to walk in, because first impressions are everything! Then it really gets intimidating. You all stand at the bar while three to five judges stare you down watching your every move. Once you finish the bar sometimes they let you grab a drink or they just move straight to center. It depends on the level you are if they ask you to put on your pointe shoes or not. Some auditions the entire class is on pointe.

Photo by Ballet Strength

 After center is over you clap and line up to thank the teacher then you go home and wait. Waiting is the worst for a couple of day then you forget about the whole thing or go to another audition. Usually you do not her back until April or May to see if you got in. All this waiting then you have about two weeks to decide which one you will attend. This particular audition was weird because it was in one of our own studios that the school rented while the Capital theater was under construction.  It was held there because when schools hold auditions for summer programs the tour the country and have to use what ever venue is best suited in that city. It was held at the Marriott Centre for Dance at the University of Utah.  Auditions are really intimidating but the are also really exciting. I personally do better at auditions because I try much harder. Although you probably won't get into every single school you ever audition to it is still great practice and a good experience to audition as much as possible, also aren't auditions and performances what you trained for?

All things pointe shoes

Once you reach the intermediate levels of ballet you go on pointe. To anyone who is not a dancer yes, this means you dance on your tip toes. Once you get your first pair of pointe shoes there are a lot of things to know for the many that come. 

First, Pointe shoes are expensive! The average pair of pointe shoes cost around $90+. Then you have to buy all the necessary supplies like ribbon, elastics, rosin, toe pads and etc.. 

Photo by Meres Flares

Second, not only are the expensive but if you stick with it you will use A LOT of pairs. Most beginning pointe dancers only go through one or two pairs their first year. This rapidly increases on a personal level after that. The better a dancer you get the more pointe shoes you will go through in any given amount of time but it also depend on how strong your feet are because then you are putting less strain on the shoes. I have gone through 13 pair in my 2 and a half years on pointe. 

Photo by Wikimedia

Next, Sewing!! :)Just kidding sewing pointe shoe is horrible! At the academy you have to sew your own pointe shoes. They are so specific abut how you sew them that they give you a course when you first go on pointe. Here are some quick step to sewing them properly; start by marking where you want the ribbons to go and which foot is which. Then sew the elastics. I use one elastic place pretty far back near the heel.Click here for a stitching pattern to follow.  Then move to the ribbons, repeat the same sewing pattern that was used on the elastics.  Finally you burn the end of the ribbons to prevent fraying.

There are many necessary supplies when it comes to pointe shoes. You need to get elastics and ribbons, how ever usually they come with the pointe shoes. You also need a stitch kit; stitch kits have the proper thread and a needle made for sewing pointe shoes. You can get this at any dance wear store. Probably the most helpful supplies are spacers and toe pads! These will save you from bleeding and prevent bunions. You also need rosin to help them not slip while you are dancing.

WARNING:The pain of pointe shoes is not exaggerated! Pointe doesn't hurt that much at first but after your amount of pointe classes increases so does the pain. After a long saturday rehearsal you can almost not feel your feet anymore, and that comes as a relief. The pain of pointe shoes is really painful especially if your toe nails are too long or too short. The worst is without toe pads though. Once I forgot my toe pads in the wash and I had to go without any thing except a cheap paper towel. It was probably one of the most painful two and a half hours in my life! For the last 30 minuets I was dying and definitely looked horrible. After class I took my pointe shoes off to find blood and blister and purple toes. After that experience I always triple check to make sure I have my toe pads. It took me three weeks to fully recover and do pointe without wanting to cry. It really is true what they say about ballet causing blood sweat and tears!

So all though Pointe causes pain and costs a fortune thats what defines a dancer. Getting your pointe your first pair of pointe shoes is so exciting and it gives you a great sense of accomplishment! Pointe shoes are worth the suffrage they cause and there defiantly is a lot of suffering going on.

Nutcracker Show

I am exactly in the middle of Nutcracker Hell at the moment. I am in B cast and we have four shows in eight days. This basically means we don't see the sun for four days. You come in at 10 for call time and leave at 9:30 with one break at 5:30. If you have ever wondered what goes on in a dressing room the day of the show it goes a little something like this; put on your make up do your hair and put on your costume then you wait. While were all waiting for our time on stage we play cards, talk and put on more makeup. In the case of this year our dressing room is in the basement with no signal which means we can not use our phones at all except for music. Today was when the boredom kicked in and some of us, me included, tried to sleep on the rolled up rug in the corner. Once the ladies in waiting put their costumes on they can not sit down so we all put our costumes on 15 minuets before we go on. That how ever does not help when we are waiting for our second appearance. It depends which cast you are in how many shows you do and how long they are spread apart. A cast is the most spread out with some shows at a different theater. Needless to stay I am not in A cast.

Picture by Me

 If you don't know the story of the nutcracker here is a short summary. For a full summary click here. Clara receives a toy from her godfather and it is the nutcracker. This toy is magical and her brother breaks it. Then she goes through the magical journey through the lives of her toys. There are several trials and final they win and get through all of the different lands. The nutcracker is a very beautiful ballet and possible the most well known in the world. The best part to dance as a child dancer is young Clara which is typically given to a short girl ages 8-12 around 5 feet tall which is the same height as the solders.  I am a lady in waiting which does not do much. Actually we do absolutely nothing. We walk and twirl in a long pink dress with charter shoes on. If you don't know what charter shoes are they are dancing shoes with a small 1 inch heel. The nutcracker is fun for a lot of parts but this is not one of them. I should probably get some sleep because I have yet another show tomorrow morning.

Safe Stretching in Expensive Leotards

Upcoming shows at Ballet West:

The Nutcracker starts December 5th it runs until the 31st at the Capital theatre and in ogden November 28th and 29th . Come see the classic Christmas Ballet full of dancing dolls and wild parties. Personally I think you should go during December 18th to the 20th then you can see me. The nutcracker is fun for all ages and a great ballet. I have seen it over and over again not to mention from back stage and I never get tired of it even though the songs get suck in your head for ever.. This is good for the whole family and really gets you in the mood for the holidays. So, come enjoy the annual nutcracker at Ballet west. If you buy your tickets now they are 40% off. 

Photo by DC Metro Theaters 

Reviews:

Photo by Yumiko Berlin

Yumiko Dance wear. This review is on the one and only Yumiko. If you do not know what Yumiko is it is a dance wear company that makes very cute yet equally expensive leotards. A single leotard can run upwards of $80! They are an international company and their website is in 6 languages. All though they are expensive they have good quality and hold for a long time not to say how they are very stylish and have great ballet fashion. The website was easy to navigate and gave a very in depth selection. Once you have chosen the style you like you can chose a different trim and color and sized exactly to your needs. This is because they are all hand made. That is probably one of the reasons they are so expensive. I personally do not have one but it may be on the way soon for a holiday or upcoming birthday. (fingers crossed) Over all Yumikos are a great brand that everyone loves just not the price.

Stretch of the Week:
Good stetting techniques are necessary so you do not get injured. Here are 3 things to always remember when stretching. Before you stretch a muscle you must warm up. A good way to do this is by doing a plié combination or just getting you blood pumping. That can even be done by jumping jacks. Also do not jump into splits right away you could tear a muscle. Warm up properly before hard stretches. Another tip is that over stretching is worse than not stretching because you can pull a muscle and be hurt for a long time. You should not stretch your splits for longer than 2 minutes at a time then you can go back and do it again up to 15 times in one sitting but you need to give your body brakes in-between. When doing other stretches that come in reps like leg swings only do sets of 15 at a time and repeat this as much as you want but do not do more than 15 at a time. You may think it helps with endurance but really it just weakens the mussel and trust me you will be sore. Finally make sure to stay in your boundaries no matter what if you try something to far out of your comfort zone you will get hurt. An example of this is over splits. Over splits are when you elevate your leg then do the splits. I can do over splits on a chair but some people are not that flexible and no matter how warm they are they will get hurt. Work at your own pace and don't care about the people around you. 

Long Days, Long Weeks and Long time Classic Shows

Upcoming Dance shows in Utah:

Thriller by Odyssey Dance Theatre September 1st to November 1st

Photo by Odyssey Dance 

Every year Odyssey put on thriller it is a halloween show filled with comedic and horror dances. They go all out on costumes and props. They tour around Utah and most people have seen it but it is always a good show and I don't mind seeing it more than once. From the 10th of october on they will be at Kingsbury Hall in Salt Lake.Tickets start at $25 and go up from there. I went to one a couple years back and had a lot of fun! Aways exciting and engaging. Even though it is not a ballet I still enjoyed it just as much. 

Weekly schedule:

This week I decided to tell you my weekly schedule. I dance for Ballet West Academy. I am level 8. I dance 6 days a week. Every day but Sunday because yes, we do live in Utah. It gets hard at time to get everything done and be able to socialize as well, but I make it work and wouldn't have it another way. ON monday and Fridays we have technique for 1:45 and then Pointe for 1 hour this starts at 6:30 and ends around 9:15. On tuesdays and wednesdays we have a 2 hour technique class then variations that is a total of 3 hours ending at 9:30 On Thursdays it starts at 4:30 with conditioning then a 2 hour technique class and Pointe. That is a total of 4:30 minutes ending at 9. Finally or longest day is Saturday. We start at 8:30 and end at 6:30  . The classes are Technique, Pointe, Repertory, Modern  and then rehearsal. It all adds up quickly! I love dance but even I know that is a lot. 

Photo by Life of a Dancer 

Stretch of the week: 

Bar Stretch! Bar stretch varies from studio to studio and even from teacher to teacher but a I will tell you a basic stretches done in bar stretches. At my studio we have to remember anywhere from two to four different bar stretches. The first thing I think that is important is putting your leg on the bar in second or to the side. You put it on the bar and stand as close to the bar as you can so that you're also stretching your turn out and rotation. Then you can reach towards your leg and away several times. You then also do this to the front turn slightly angled towards the bar and make sure you are staining straight up the repeat the reaching from before. Finally you do this to the back it is the same as the front but with your leg behind you. When you reach toward your leg twist you spine for an extra stretch. This is good for warming up all you muscles! Make sure to be warm when stretching always stay safe and have fun stretching! 

And Nutcracker has Begun Yet Again

Upcoming Ballet West Performances : Giselle November 7-16

Picture by Ballet West

This is a classical ballet that is not only a love story but a ghost story. A drama about a poor peasant girl and the prince who lies to her. This is full of many exciting scenes and will keep you interested. This version is produced by Artistic Director Adam Sklute.



Daily Dance Days: Nutcracker casting

  Nutcracker is one of the most famous ballets to many people around the world. The Nutcracker started a long time ago and the tradition still stands. Auditions for the Nutcracker were held in the middle of September and Casting began last week. There are many parts for children that audition for the Nutcracker. It is all based on height then audition. At the smallest height you are a buffoon and then you move to Party Girl then to solider and young Clara. From there you are solider page and Lady in waiting. This year I was Cast as a Lady in waiting.  Nutcracker has 4 cast A-D. I am Cast B. Nutcracker rehearsals have just begun but are in full force. Everyone is busy getting ready for the premier in early December.



Reviews: Pat's Dance wear

Picture By Cinnamon Tree

Pat's has a verity of dance wear from Jazz and Tap to classical Ballet. They have a great selection of leotards, tights and shoes. When you go to Pat's for a point Shoe fitting you have to call in advance. When you get there they are very helpful and have a very good range in shoes to choose from. You pay a $10 fitting fee but they are good and know what they are doing.They definitely have all your dance wear needs at Pat's. Although it is a little pricy but most Dance Wear stores are.  I love Pat's and make the drive down there whenever I need pointe shoes.


Stretch Of The Week: Splits

When Stretching you want to make sure you warm up at a good pace. A good stretch to do once you have warmed up is your splits. Not everyone knows how to do the splits properly. To properly do the splits you first should warm up your hip joint, you can do this by doing lunges. Then you can slide into your splits. Extend both legs one in front one strait to the back. You should hold it for about 30 seconds- 2 minuets. Then if it isn't hurting a lot you can try leaning forward and backward. The splits are a very common stretch for Ballet and help increase flexibility for tilts and extensions. It also helps with leaps and jumps. Have Fun! :)